If you’re like me, any plan to get rid of some mosquitoes sounds like a good one. But that’s just on the surface. Because now there are people who say the new plan to tackle the mosquito problem in the keys is less than stellar. That’s why we’re going to talk about these GMO mosquitoes, and the plan down in the southern tip of the Sunshine State.
GMO Mosquitoes: What’s the plan for them?
Well, to start off with, let’s talk about why this is all happening. With Florida’s sunny and tropical environments, it’s the perfect home for mosquitoes. And that means more than just our own. In fact, we’re now hosting more than a dozen invasive species of these flying pests. And with more species of mosquitoes in one area, you get more vectors for diseases. That’s why we have outbursts of EEE, Yellow fever, and Zika virus in a state where those don’t really occur naturally.
So of course, something has to be done. But what the area’s mosquito control district decided to do has people up in arms down in the keys. Their response is to create, essentially, GMO mosquitoes to release there. And not just a couple, but about a Billion of them.
So what is the actual plan?
Well, the trial is set to begin this week with the first phase of 144,000 GMO mosquitoes to be released over the next twelve weeks. The goal here is to reduce the numbers of the Aedes aegypti invasive species which carry the diseases I mentioned above, plus a few more. The male mosquitoes being released were developed by a British biotech company known as Oxitect. They do not bite and will be introduced into small areas in a select few neighborhoods in the Monroe area. The gene that the insects which are being released have is supposedly meant to be “self-limiting”. This, according to the Oxitec head of Regulator Affairs Dr. Nathan Rose, is a protein that they’re supposed to pass on when they mate with the wild invasive.
The hope is that the billion GMO mosquitoes released over a two-year period will decrease the overall population of the Aedes mosquitoes and lower the transmission rates of the diseases that they carry. But this is all conjecture, and like I mentioned above, has received plenty of criticism.
GMO mosquitoes: The Pushback
Following the announcement of the project in 2020, pushback against it was almost immediate. In fact, in March a panel of independent experts claimed that the GMO mosquitoes could pose significant threats to sensitive ecosystems and human populations in the Keys. Dana Perls, the food and tech Program Manager at Friends of the Earth, described the announcement as “a dark moment in history.” And even went so far as to say that the EPA must step in immediately. “The release of genetically engineered mosquitoes puts Floridians, the environment, and endangered species at risk in the midst of a pandemic.”
Residents of the keys say that the EPA bypassed official procedures, and did not require peer review or preliminary trials for the GMO mosquitoes before they were released into the wild.
Ways to reduce Mosquitoes around your home
Well, GMO or not all of this just reaffirms an old thought of mine. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So whether you support this initiative or not, there are things that you can do around your own home that will help you.
The biggest and most important one is always going to be eliminating stagnant or standing water around your property. Water is vital to the mosquito lifestyle, so giving them more places to breed is an open invitation into your yard and your home. That means getting rid of old tires, buckets, bowls, or kiddie pools you have around your property. Also, cover any containers that you do use, and if you have a pool make sure it’s well maintained and screened in. Also, if you have any outside trash cans make sure to drill a hole into the bottom of them. This allows standing water to seep out because you’d be shocked at how easily mosquitoes can enter your bins.
Also, invest in a fan for your patio or deck. Mosquitoes, for all their strengths, are weak fliers. Moving air makes it much harder for these frail parasites to fly, and even then the fan could be simply blowing away your carbon dioxide output: making it harder for these pests to find you in the first place.
Mosquito-proof clothing?
And when you go outside, wear light colors. White and light-colored clothing is not only the best choice for summer, but it reflects sunlight and keeps you cool. Mosquitoes prefer the colors blue and black, as those attract them more easily while also making you sweat more from their capacity to make you hotter.
And due to their small size, most species of mosquito are unable to bite through even light clothing. So as counter-intuitive as it may seem, light-colored long-sleeve shirts and long pants, as well as thick socks and boots, are the best case for you to keep these buzzing pests off of your body.
And when it comes to either camping or an indoor infestation, consider purchasing mosquito netting. If you are camping, this will be absolutely essential to prevent you from waking up with hundreds of bites. These guys exist by the millions in Florida. So, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any campsite that isn’t lousy with these pests.
Conclusion
Whether or not you believe in the steps being taken to release GMO mosquitoes in an effort to control the keys invasive epidemic, know that there are always people that can help you at home. If you have an infestation around your house or yard, contact a professional as quickly as you can. Laymen may be able to reduce the number of mosquitoes. However, you’ll need a qualified specialist that can root out things. Such as breeding grounds if you want to be as close to mosquito-free as you possibly can.
